Improvement in copy-holders



S. FRENCH 8:; R. D. CHASE,

) Copy-Holders. N0. 138,877. Patented May13, 1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT .Orrrcm.

STEPHEN FRENCH AND RUFUS D. CHASE, OF ORANGE, MASSACHUSETTS. I

IMPROVEMENT IN COPY-HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,877, dated May 13, 1873; application filed April 12, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, STEPHEN FRENCH and RUFUS D. CHASE, of Orange, in the county'of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Copy- Holder, of which the following is a specification:

Our invention consists of a little desk, table, or board, supported in any way in an oblique position suitably for reading copy conveniently from it; or, if preferred, it maybe merely a flat board to layon a desk, on which said board, table, or desk, near the upper edge, we have a pair of rolls with elastic surfaces arranged suitably for drawing a half sheet of paper along the table from bottom to top, one of said rollers being provided with a thumbbit at one or both ends for turning it, and just below the rollers we have a slotted plate arranged so the paper containing the matter to be copied will be drawn under it and hidden from view, except a line or two which may be seen through the slot, and thereby be clearly indicated to the eye of the copyist, so that no time will be lost in following the copy in the right connection, which it is so difficult to do without some such aid.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved copy-holder, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line a: w of Fig. 1.

A represents the table board top of a small desk or any suit-able object for holding the paper containing the copy or matter to be copied. 13 represents the board or plate, placed above plate A just enough to allow a leaf or sheet, E, of paper to pass freely between them, and having a long narrow opening or slot, 1), near the upper edge, through which one or more lines of the copy can be seen, while the balance is concealed from view. 0 represents the rolls arranged at the upper edges of the boards A B suitably to receive the upper edge of the sheet of paper when introduced from below between the boards, and draw it along from time to time to expose one line after another, so as to avoid all the difficulty now experienced by copyists in returning the eyes from the paper being written to the right place in the copy.

The rolls have elastic surfaces to act alike on thick or thin paper, and hold it sufficiently without too much pressure.

One roller has a thumb-bit, F, at each end by which to turn it.

The board B may be hinged to the board A at one side to be raised up when a sheet of paper is to be put in, or it may be permanently fastened, and the paper may be introduced by sliding it in from the lower edges of the board, as may be preferred.

The cleats J, at the upper end of the board B, may serve for guides for the edges of the very essential to have them, for if the paper is presented to the rolls rightly it must be drawn through correctly.

The apparatus can be made of wood, metal, straw-board, or any other suitable material.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination of a board, table, or desk,

stantially in the manner described.

STEPHEN FRENCH. RUFUS D. CHASE. Witnesses for S. FRENCH:

O. Snnewrcx, T. B. MOSHER. Witnesses for R. D. CHASE:

J N0. 0. FELT, JONAS R. DAVIS.

paper, or one edge, if desired, but it is not A, slotted plate B, and carrying-rolls (J, sub- 

